Nut huller



Aug. 1, 1939. w. c. ANDERSON 7, 0

NUT HULLER I Filed May 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ec'gil INVENTOR ATTORNEY g- 1939- I w. c. ANDERSON 2,167,704

NUT HULLER Filed May 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to walnut hullers and particularly represents improvements over the structure shown in my copending application for patent, Serial No. 53,754, filed December 10, 1935.

The principal object of the present invention is to improve the nut feeding means so as to better insure a constant and steady feeding of the nuts to the rotary hulling brush, thereby increasing the efficiency of operation and the output of the huller.

A further object is to simplify the feeding means, eliminating various operating and wearing parts necessary in the previous machine, and thus reducing the initial cost of construction as well as the subsequent upkeep expense.

Another object is to provide for the ready replacement of those bristles or the rotary hulling brush which are naturally subjected to the greatest Wear, Without the necessity of dismantling and removing the entire brush unit.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved huller partly in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the same with the gear boX and driving mechanism removed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the removable bristle section detached.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the essential features of construction of the hulling machine are the same as before. Said machine comprises a casing consisting of a circular horizontal plate I surrounded by an upstanding deep band 2, said casing forming both a hulling and nut feeding chamber as will be seen later. The casing is rigidly connected to and supported a suitable distance from the floor on legs 3.

A rotary brush is disposed in the casing a considerable distance below the top of band 2 and comprises an upper disc 4 and a lower disc 5 removably bolted thereagainst. The discs are nearly the same diameter as the band and stiff, closely spaced steel bristles 6 are removably mounted in the lower disc 5 from above and depend therefrom in the same manner as in the previous machine, the disc 4 retaining the bristles against removal. The upper and lower discs 4 and 5 are secured on a hub 1 slidably splined for vertical adjustment on an upwardly projecting drive shaft 8. This shaft depends from and is journaled in a gear box 9 having radial lugs l0 extending and secured to the legs 3 above the band 2. The shaft is driven at a reduced speed from an electrical motor mounted on the box 9.

To adjust the brush, a diametrally extending yoke bar I 2 engages a collar turnable on the hub 1, one end of said bar being supported by one leg while the other is connected to a vertically extending rod l3. This rod projects through one lug l0 and has an adjusting hand wheel or nut M threaded on its upper end.

The plate I is provided with a plurality of radial slots [5 of sufiicient length and width to receive hulls on edge therethrough, but of insufficient width to pass any nuts themselves. Fixed on and upstanding from the plate I is a spiral rib i6 extending from the band 2 inwardly to a central discharge opening H in the plate 5, in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the brush.

The bristlesqof the latter clear the rib by an amount determined by the size of the nuts being hulled, and the amount of such clearance is controlled by manipulation of the adjusting member M.

The discs 4 and 5 are cut away at one or more circumfer-entially spaced places for a depth of several rows of bristles to form nut intake openings [8, of sufiicient size to pass a considerable quantity of nuts at one time. The band 2 above the point of highest adjustment of the brush, is provided with a circumferentially extending feed opening l9 which communicates with a nut supply hopper 29. This is mounted in connection with the casing on one side of the same and has a bottom sloping to the opening l9 as shown in Fig. 1.

The nuts from the hopper are thus delivered onto the top of the rotating brush disc 4, whose rotation immediately causes the nuts to be drawn centrifugally against the band 2. When in this position, the nuts are of course in position to register with and drop through the openings It in the brush discs and onto the hulling plate I below. Here the nuts are engaged by the bristles at the trailing end of the openings and are swept about the plate and into contact with the spiral rib IS.

The hulling action is the same as had in the previous machine and the hulled nuts ultimately pass through the central opening I! which is in direct communication with a chute 2 I. This leads into the adjacent end of a washing device 22, which is preferably of the horizontal squirrel cage type as indicated in Fig. l, and which is rotated by suitable drive connections 23 with the motor I I.

The bristles 6a which first engage the nuts (those at the trailing ends of the openings R3) are of course subjected to the greatest wear. I therefore provide for the ready replacement of these bristles as follows:

The corresponding portions of the upper disc 4 are made as sections 4a separate from the disc itself, being removably secured to the portions of the disc 5 thereunder by cap screws 24. Removal of these sections therefore exposes the upper ends of the bristles 6a below, as indicated in Fig. 2, and such bristles may be readily withdrawn and replaced by others without any other dismantling of the machine being necessary.

The same result may be obtained by making the portions of the lower disc 5 adjacent said trailing ends of the feed openings I 8 as sections 5a separate from the main disc 5, which sections are removably secured to the upper disc 4 by cap screws 24 independent of those used in securing the main disc 5 to the disc 4. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the removable section is smaller than the opening so that it can be withdrawn from or inserted through said opening. In this manner, raising the brush clear of the enclosing side wall 2 is unnecessary when effecting a replacement. In this manner the relatively small bristle mounting disc sections, and the bristles 6a thereon, are easily removed from the disc 4 for replacement of any bristles without the necessity of removing or dismantling the entire disc structure, which is an operation requiring considerable time.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A walnut huller comprising a hulling chamber having a floor, and an upstanding circular band about the floor, a rotary brush turnably mounted in the chamber and disposed with a vertical axis, the brush having a top disc substantially the diameter of the band disposed below the top of the same; the floor having means cooperating with the brush to hull nuts, and means to feed nuts onto the disc whereby with the rotation of the same the nuts will be thrown centrifugaily toward the hand; there being an opening to provide for the delivery of such centriiugally thrown nuts from above the disc to the hulling area below the same.

2. A walnut huller comprising a hulling chamber having a floor, and an upstanding circular band about the floor, a rotary brush turnably mounted in the chamber and disposed with a vertical axis, the brush having a top disc substantially the diameter of the band disposed below the top of the same; the floor having means cooperating with the brush to hull nuts, and means to feed nuts onto the disc whereby with the rotation of the same the nuts will be thrown centrifugally toward the band; a portion of the brush including the disc about the periphery thereof being removed to provide a circumferentially extending opening for the passage of nuts from above the disc to the hulling area below the same.

3. A structure as in claim 2, with means removably mounting that portion of the brush at the trailing end of the opening.

4. A structure as in claim 1, in which said nut feeding means comprises a hopper extending outwardly from the band, the latter above the brush disc having an opening therethrough for the passage of nuts from the hopper to the band enclosure above the disc.

5. A walnut huller comprising a hulling chamber having a floor, and an upstanding circular band about the floor, a rotary brush turnably mounted in the chamber and disposed with a vertical axis, said brush comprising a top supporting disc, and an under disc unit secured thereto and bristles depending from said unit, the upper disc being substantially the diameter of the band, means to feed nuts onto the upper disc, said disc and disc unit being cut away for a predetermined arcuate and radial extent of the area thereof to provide an opening for the passage of nuts from above the disc to the hulling area below the same; the disc unit including a section at the trailing end of the opening separate from the remainder of the unit and independently and removably secured to the upper disc.

6. In a walnut huller having a hulling chamber, a rotary vertical axis brush revolvable in the chamber, said brush including a main disc, bristles removably mounted in the disc from above and depending therethrough, an upper disc over and secured against the main disc to hold the bristles against removal, means to feed nuts to be hulled onto the upper disc, a portion of the brush including the discs being cut away to provide a circumferential opening for the passage of nuts from above the disc to the hulling chamber below, that portion of the upper disc at and immediately beyond the trailing end of the opening being separate from the main portion of said disc, and means removably mounting said disc portion in place.

'7. A walnut huller comprising a hulling chamber having a bottom floor, a rotary vertical-axis brush unit projecting into the chamber, and including depending bristles, means to feed nuts onto the top of the brush unit, the latter having an opening therein for the passage of nuts from above the unit to the hulling area below the brush, and means removably mounting a bristle section at the trailing end of the opening sepi arately from the remainder of the bristles whereby to allow of replacement of said section when worn without disturbing the remainder of the unit.

8. A structure as in claim '7, in which said disc section i smaller than the opening whereby to allow of movement of said section into or out of place through said opening.

9. A nut huller comprising a casing, a disc mounted for rotation intermediate the top and bottom of the casing, means to rotate the disc, an abrading means mounted on the underside of the disc, means on the bottom of the casing cooperating with the abrading means to hull nuts, means tofeed nuts into the casing on top of the revolving disc, and means to feed nuts through the disc and between the abrading element and the casing bottom.

10. A nut huller comprising a casing, a disc mounted for rotation intermediate the top and bottom of the casing, means to rotate the disc, an abrading means mounted on the underside of the disc, means on the bottom of the casing cooperating with the abrading means to hull nuts, means to feed nuts into the casing on top of the revolving disc, and off center openings provided in the disc and abrading element to allow the nuts to feed through between the abrading element and the casing bottom.

W. CHARLES ANDERSON. 

